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Blunt hook, double-headed, Europe, 1750-1850

Blunt hooked instruments are one of the oldest obstetrical instruments. They sped the baby’s process down the birth canal or repositioned the child, especially in case of a breech birth. This is when a baby sits horizontally within the womb rather than vertically (head first). They were often destructive instruments. They removed the body or parts of a foetus which had died during the birth.